Horsing Around

Thoroughbred gelding Mo Dixie

2011-12-15T17:54:00.000-08:00

Kentucky Bred Thoroughbred brood mare for sale

2011-07-01T17:11:00.000-07:00

SOLDThis is a nine year old thoroughbred mare for sale. She has produced her first foal in Feb. 11, without difficulty and is a good mother. She is about 16 hands tall. Her racing name is Runnin to Deborder. You can look up her racing stats on equineline.com . Good points: Very beautiful chestnut mare. She is a gentle, well mannered mare and we use her for a kids riding horse. She leads, bathes, ties, loads and stands well for farrier. She has recent negative Coggins. She works well as a pony horse, as she is calm and sensible. Bad points: she has arthritis in front forelegs from old racing injury. She works fine on trails, schooling, backyard riding, but is not sound enough for shows or heavy competition. Excellent broodmare and companion horse.

Lucchese boots

2011-04-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

Paint mare for sale

2011-02-25T10:06:00.000-08:00

Nice 8 year old mare, goes English and western. Scroll down for more pictures.

Molly and her foal for sale

2011-02-25T10:04:00.000-08:00

On February 11 at 11:15 pm. After an easy delivery, Molly presented us with a beautiful bay colt with a white star on his forehead. He's a leggy little guy. We've been handling him since birth, teaching him to lead, and accept a blanket and halter and other little horse-skills. He's an intelligent little guy, which is no surprise, as him mother, Molly, is a very intelligent mare. First photo is a twelve hour old baby! Scroll down for more pictures of the mare.

Molly thoroughbred chestnut mare

2011-01-29T16:58:00.000-08:00

(Scroll through earlier posts to see more pictures of her.) These pictures are from the fall of 2010. My neice, Margy, who is just learning to ride started with Molly. We did a lot of longe line exercises, walk-trot exercises, follow the leader exercises, practicing our posting on the right diagonal. When Margy doesn't ride Molly, Mama uses her as a "chair" while she watches the girl's working with the trainer. Mama also rides her to accompany the girls on trail rides. Molly is a nice horse.

Molly in foal January

2011-01-24T12:53:00.000-08:00

Runnin to Deborder barn name: Molly

2010-12-22T14:01:00.000-08:00

Dark TB gelding for sale

2010-11-24T18:01:00.000-08:00

This gelding has been used as a 4H project horse and has been to horse camp and the fair afew times. He's a good horse. Is 11 years old, sound and athletic.

Light TB gelding for sale

2010-11-24T17:36:00.000-08:00

SoldThis gelding is 8 years old. sound, and very willing. Makes a nice strong riding horse. Stands close to 16 hands. Good on trails.

Pinto paint overo roan mare horse for sale

2010-08-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

Seven year old paint mare for sale. Goes English, western. Nice all around horse. We are currently taking her with us to the trainers every week, to work on dressage. If she doesn't sell this fall, Jacinta will declare her as her project horse and will be taking her to horse shows and the fair. If she qualifies, we'll take her to the state fair. So, if you want this horse, you should buy her this fall, as the price will go up as we invest more training and showing into this horse.

Saddle Up for Charity St. Jude Children's cancer research

2010-05-06T05:54:00.000-07:00

Jacinta and her mom are hoping to go on the Saddle Up For Saint Jude Charity trail ride to be held on May 15th at Salt Fork State Park near Cambridge Ohio, starting at 9 a.m. The purpose of the ride is to raise money for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. In order for us to go, we need to raise at least $25 each for this charity by May 15th. If you can help us in by donating, either contact me and I will send you an envelope, or else you can use the donation button in this post.
Even one dollar would be greatly appreciated! If you want to go on the ride yourself, you might be able to rent a horse at Salt Fork, or else bring your own horse if you have one. (Or, maybe you could get the Faith Ranch people to organize a group to go??) Here is a link that you can investigate about renting horses at Salt Fork: http://www.saltforkstateparklodge.com/horseback-riding-1081.html

-St. Jude was the first institution to cure sickle cell disease with a bone marrow transplant and has one of the largest pediatric sickle cell programs in the country.
-No child is ever turned away because of a family’s inability to pay.
-Your support benefits St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the breakthrough discoveries that lead to life-saving cures every day, for children in every community.
-St. Jude is the first and only hospital to use a bone marrow transplant as treatment for the genetic disorder osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease.
-St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center that fully pays for lodging, food, and travel for patients and their families.
-St. Jude opened its doors in 1962 and sees approximately 200 children every day.
-Every breakthrough at St. Jude is immediately and freely shared with the scientific and medical communities worldwide. That’s why St. Jude is called the “hospital without walls.”
-St. Jude has increased the survival rate of the most common form of childhood cancer, ALL, from 4 percent when the hospital opened to 85 percent today.
-Eighty-four cents of every dollar received goes directly to research and treatment.
-St. Jude has become the nation’s third largest healthcare charity, supporting a daily operating cost of more than $1 million.
-We never stop looking for cures. For any child. Ever.

To find out more about this hospital, you can visit:

http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f2bfab46cb118010VgnVCM1000000e2015acRCRD

How to buy a horse

2010-04-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

Original signed horse painting for sale

2010-03-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

How to load a horse into a horse trailer

2010-01-16T09:55:00.000-08:00

We wrote about this earlier (see my earlier post on loading a horse into a horse trailer). But most likely, if you are reading this post, you still have trouble with your horse when it comes to loading the horse into a trailer.

A few thoughts:

Like the rest of us, horses have a strong instinct for self-preservation. Being naturally timid, they generally try to flee situations they perceive as life-threatening. If flight is not possible, they will put up a struggle.

A horse trailer is potentially life-threatening to horses. Every large animal veterinarian has seen plenty of trailer related horse injuries and fatalities.

Your horse is not "bad" because he won't load into the horse trailer. He is acting naturally, trying to avoid what he correctly perceives to be a dangerous situation. He is doing what any horse would do--he is acting according to his nature. He is a good horse with the right instincts, even if he won't get in the horse trailer. Approach the problem with this attitude, and a barrel of patience.

Wearing gloves, and non-skid boots, lead the horse, wearing a stout halter and cotton lead rope at least ten feet long, up to the trailer and let him sniff and examine the trailer for about fifteen minutes while you make reassuring noises. Stay on the side of the horse, near the shoulder. Don't get in front or in back of him.

If the horse is stiff, tense, snorting and bug-eyed, you ought to take him back to the paddock and longe him for ten or fifteen minutes to calm him down. If you are used to riding him (safely) when he is in a nervous condition, go ahead and ride him for an hour or more.

After he has been vigorously exercised and is more relaxed, approach the trailer again and let him sniff. Have some of his favorite foods, hay and treats up in the trailer near the front.

Lead the horse in a confident, matter of fact manner up to the trailer, as if you are sure that he will get in. Don't walk in front of him, and don't look back at him hesitating. Stay at his shoulder and lead him right up to the left side stall of the trailer. (Always haul a single horse up on the driver's side. If you have two horses to haul, put the bigger horse on the driver's side.)

Don't get in the trailer with the horse, unless there is an escape door, or way for you to get out fast. There's no point in getting in a trailer with a horse that might go ballistic with you trapped inside, is there?

If you're lucky, the horse gets right in, and you reach through the side and tie his lead to the trailer tie, or unsnap the lead, if you prefer to have them free in the trailer.

Most likely, your horse planted his feet and pulled back when you tried to lead him up to the trailer, right?

It's all right, he will learn eventually. Don't praise him, but don't punish him either. Don't be angry or despairing. You are on schedule.

The next step is to get a strong friend with gloves and non-skid boots, a cotton longe rope at least 25 feet long, and a longe whip.

Some other good equipment to wear, if you have them, is a safety vest, a helmet, and leg wraps or trailer boots on the horse, to protect his legs. A protective trailer hat for the horse is not a bad idea either, as some horse rear up in a trailer and cut their heads.

One method that sometimes works, and is not too traumatizing, is to tie the end of the horse's lead rope, using a square knot, to the end of the longe line. Thread the longe line up through the trailer stall and out the front side, where you want the horse's head to go. Pull the longe rope and lead line gently till they are somewhat taut, and make the line go in a loop back around the horse's butt. Don't get too close, as you may get kicked. Do not wind the rope around your hand or arm, and be sure you not to get tangled in the rope in any way. You should be able to drop the rope immediately at any time and be completely free of the horse. Have your longe whip or driving whip ready. When the horse feels the tug of the lead rope pulling him forward, most likely, he will pull backwards. That's when you pull the loop of the longe rope against his hindquarters, just above his hocks. He may try to kick or sit down upon the rope. You give a little tug and crack the whip or touch him lightly with the whip and say "Walk!" With any luck, he will go forward.

If he does go forward, let up, just a little on the rope--a relief of pressure is how you reward him for the right response. But don't let up too much, as he will most likely try to bolt out of the side of the trailer. Most likely, the horse fights you, sitting down on the rope, kicking or yanking his head back and forth. Ply the butt rope back and forth, and repeat the whip cracking while saying 'walk." Be sure you are clear of the hind legs, and also that if the horse flips over, you aren't going to be underneath. Whenever the horse starts to do the right thing, let up a little and praise him. When he starts to balk, crack the whip, saw the rope and continue the voice commands. Hopefully, he will eventually get the idea that if he keeps moving forward in to the trailer, you are going to let up on the pressure. You will stop pulling the rope against his butt, and you will stop cracking the whip. This concept may take weeks for some horses to learn, especially if they've had bad experiences in the trailer before. The goal is to get him to recognize that moving forward means comfort. Anything else means discomfort.

The other goal is to keep the situation calm. It's easy to get frustrated, because some horses are very stubborn and balky about loading, and it's easy to blow your stack. Keep cool, be patient, the horse will eventually learn.

If these methods are not successful, I will tell you some other things to try later on...

How to catch a horse

2010-01-13T08:39:00.000-08:00

You've probably already tried catching your horse by offering him tempting treats, hay or shaking a bucket of grain. You also know better than to go into a field or paddock full of horses with goodies--that's a way some people get trounced on or kicked by a mob of stampeding horses fighting over the treats. Not a good idea.

If the field is full of horses, and your darling mount won't come nicely up to the gate to be haltered and caught, you may have to "divide and conquer," that is, catch any of the other horses that will come up to the fence and allow themselves to be taken out of the field. Try to get as many out as you can before you go in to catch your shy friend. Horses have a tendency to bunch up in a group, making it harder to single one out.

Once your horse is alone in the field, try luring him to you with treats and food again. If he still won't come, get yourself a longe whip and summon all of your reserves of patience. Resign yourself to the fact that you probably won't be riding, but that today will be a groundwork lesson for your horse. He is learning how to allow himself to be caught. This may take several lessons.

Keep a positive attitude. The horse is a good boy, not a bad boy. He just doesn't know how he should act. You are going to let the good boy have some exercise till he is ready to quit and stand still so you can put his halter on. Hopefully, your paddock or field is small, otherwise, you are going to have some exercise too!

Have your halter and lead rope hung on your shoulder. The idea is to keep them with you and have them ready in case the horse decides to stop and stand quiet, but to be sure that you, or the horse won't get tangled in them. Also have your longe whip.

Approach the horse, and the minute you see that he is going to trot or bolt away, crack the whip and ask him to canter, (or trot, if he is slow). Keep him going. If he whirls around to go the other way, praise him and encourage him to keep going. Keep your distance from the horse, because many will try to kick out at you as they run. In fact, you should be wearing a helmet, some non-slip boots, and if you have one, wear an equestrian safety vest, just like the guys who work at the race track.

You are conducting a free-longeing lesson. Keep the horse going nice and fast. If you see that he wants to break stride from a canter to a trot, say "Trot" and praise him when he breaks into a trot. Keep him going and don't let him stop to eat, drink or rest. If he starts to tire, and you see that he is planning to walk, say "Walk" and praise him if he walks,--otherwise, keep him going. If he decides to stop say "Whoa," and let him stand for a minute before you hold your whip behind you and approach. But, if he starts to walk or trot again, encourage him to go faster. If he turns his butt toward you, snap the whip and ask him to trot or go faster. Praise him when he goes faster and keep him going till he begins to tire and wants to slow down. You will again command him to "walk" when you see he is slowing to a walk, and praise him when he does so. If he stops but turns his butt toward you again when you approach, back up away from him, crack the whip and get him trotting or cantering again. Be sure to say "trot" or "canter" when you ask him to go, so that he will be acting as a good, obedient boy, doing as he was told. He needs to learn that turning his butt toward you means more exercise for him. The goal is that he stops, stands and does not move when you approach with your halter and lead rope. Just be sure that your longe whip is in a non-threatening position as you approach the standing horse. It should be behind you, not pointed at the horse. Keep your movements slow and confident, not jerky, nervous or angry.

The idea your are trying to teach the horse is that the nicest, most comfortable thing for him to do is the thing YOU want him to do. Everything else is a great deal of work. He's not bad when he does what HE likes, he just has to work very hard, and you are happy to make him do so.

NOTE: The key is to be sure that you are consistent in your commands and actions so that the horse will not be confused about what is being asked of him. For example, don't raise the longe whip toward his flank unless you want him to go faster. The whip should be down and inconspicuous when he is standing as he should.

Pinto Paint strawberry roan mare for sale

2009-06-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

The girls need to part with some of their horses. We've got two riders and five horses. (There isn't enough time in the day for all of this, when you add it to violin practice and swimming.) So this page is about Splash n Flash, an overo roan mare. We've had her since she was two and she just turned six this spring. She is beautifully marked--white splashes on her neck and sides against a strawberry roan background. She has two white socks and a wide white blaze. Her mane always falls on the right side and is absolutely beautiful and always looks good. She has been professionally trained and we have taken her to horse camp and the county fair twice. She's been to a few local horse shows and has even won some money and ribbons. Though she's got a stock horse build and stands approximately 14.3, this mare rides both English and western. We ride her with a rubber snaffle and she's handy and quick but has an excellent western pleasure jog-very smooth and collected. We've started her over small jumps-crossrails, and hay bales and she is an eager and willing jumper. I'd like to see her finished a little longer in pleasure and equitation, but in about a year, she'd be great for games and events. My daughters will use her for a mount for the U S Pony Club group we belong to, if she stays here. She ties, loads, leads, and bathes easily. She has excellent stock horse bloodlines, and is registered as a Pinto. This is a nice little mare with good hard feet and a sweet disposition.

Jacinta4

2008-12-06T16:34:00.000-08:00

Jacinta and Willy3

2008-12-06T16:26:00.000-08:00

Jacinta and Willy horse show

2008-12-06T16:19:00.000-08:00

Pony Club horse show Jacinta and Willy

2008-12-06T16:11:00.000-08:00

Riding Lessons pictures page 1

2008-11-26T11:29:00.000-08:00

Here are some horse riding lessons photos

page 2 pony club fall horse show

2008-11-26T10:55:00.000-08:00

Here are more equestrian photos from the horse show. If you recognize horse or rider, and want digital copies, tell me which one, and your email and I'll try to email it.

US Pony Club Horse Show

2008-11-26T10:20:00.000-08:00

The Fall horse show was a great amount of fun, thanks to the enormous effort of Ellen, Adriana, Melanie and the college kids, to name a few. These are equestrian photos from the horse show, which featured dressage and stadium jumping. The kids had the choice of taking a combined dressage and stadium jumping test. For the dressage, the kids rode the appropriate equitation tests from the United States Dressage Federation. I thought the horsemanship was great and am only sorry that most of my horse photos came out blurry (You kids ride fast!) or were so far away in the horse jumping or dressage arena that they didn't show up well. However, if you see yourself in these photos, I can send you digital photos. Just let me know which are you, and where to email them:

Training a horse to load in a trailer

2008-11-13T16:47:00.000-08:00

How to load your horse in a trailer:

If you've ever had the experience of being unable to load a horse into a trailer, you know the true meaning of frustration. I think of all horse related experiences, loading balky horses in trailers is the truest test of patience. The worst comes out in the horse as well as the horse handler.

And in training horses to load in trailers, patience is key. If you lose it, they will lose it.

To train a horse to load in a trailer, plan well in advance of an occasion where you need to take your horse somewhere. Time is needed--days, possibly weeks of months even, for horses that have had bad trailering experiences.

1. Start by leading your horse slowly around the trailer, letting him sniff and examine it as much as he desires. Better yet, park the trailer in the paddock, or round pen with the horse for a few days. Leave the doors open and let him get used to seeing it. Probably you should remove any halter from your horse so he doesn't accidentally catch himself on the trailer. Check to make sure there are no sharp edges, or anything that could cause an injury. Tie the doors open, so they won't slam on him if the wind blows. Horses are naturally curious and if you are lucky, the horse will get in and out of the trailer to experiment.

2. Halter the horse and lead him up to the trailer matter of factly. Some horses will hop right in. Don't get in with him. I would recommend shutting the door behind him, if the horse does load into the trailer. Snap his halter to the trailer ties and let him stand. Praise the horse and pet him, letting him have time to calm down and contemplate his new situation, at least 15 or 20 minutes. If he kicks, paws and acts up, speak to him in a soothing voice.

3. More likely, your horse did not load into the trailer. Instead, he braced his front legs, and pulled back when you tried to urge him forward into the horse trailer with the lead rope. In that case, circle him around and try again. Don't be rough or angry--just patiently try again. If he still won't load into the horse trailer, put him on a lunge line and with a lunge whip have him walk in circles around you behind the trailer. Keep him moving, and try to drive him toward the trailer. Be very careful to keep your distance, as many horses will kick out at you, or lunge forward if they are agitated. Stay out of range of the hind legs, and don't get run over either.

4. If the horse extends his head into the horse trailer, or starts to load, let him do so. If he still refuses, keep him going. You want him to learn that the most comfortable, easy place for him is pointing his head toward the trailer and moving forward. Every place else should be full of hard work and motion. When he starts to do what is right, make it comfortable. When he refuses, make him do other things that take exertion. But do it patiently and don't lose your cool, though you're probably steaming inside, if your horse is as balky as mine.

5. What's key here is to praise and encourage him and let up the pressure with the lead and the whip when he takes a step in the right direction. Otherwise, keep him moving and exercising. You are trying to teach him that doing the wrong things (not loading into the trailer) take a lot more energy and work than doing the right things (loading into the horse trailer). If he plants his feet and won't budge, don't try to have a tug-of-war. The horse will win. Instead, turn his head and make him do a 360 on the forehand or hindquarters. Or else back him up and make him back in a circle, and see how he likes that.

6. This may take several days or weeks even, but eventually, your horse might get the right idea. If not, I will tell you about sterner measures later.